Work Weekend

Contrary to popular belief, we are up to other things besides bathroom work...well Heather is at least. Just kidding! :)
We spent a lot of the weekend outside, working on the yard, and then I spent a little time on the bathroom. Saturday, while the grout finished curing, Geoffrey and I dug out 3 holly trees from behind the garage in preparation for the new patio we'll be putting in. The trees had some very deep roots, as we believe they were put in when the house was first built over 26 years ago. We also chopped down 2 other holly trees and 2 boxwoods from the front yard.

What our backyard currently looks like. Hopefully we can convince Kevin to help us with the patio install. The patio will go from the far edge of the sidewalk to the side of the house. Should be perfect for grilling out in the summer.

Sunday we were joined by Sam, Megan & Ben, as they had a use for a lot of the rocks from the random islands in our backyard. We loaded up their trailer and then Sam tended to a half dead tree in our backyard.

Ben was extremely helpful with the rock task. He even brought along his own smaller sized wheel barrow.

He must be part monkey, as he was up the tree in no time. The picture doesn't do it justice, as he was at least 2 stories high in the air.

Try as we may, we couldn't convince them to take the gnome along with all the stone. In the upcoming weeks we'll smooth out the "volcano" that remains were many of the rock walls once stood.

And last but not least, some bathroom updates.

I installed the new shower faucet, head and tub spout and sealed the grout. Geoffrey was extra helpful today and cut off the threaded portion of the tub spout to allow for a slip fit installation.

A better shot of the new faucet and spout. The previous spout and faucet was a cheap builder's grade, with an oh so lovely crystal plastic handle and plastic spout painted in crome. The new fixture is solid metal and looks so much nicer. All that is left now is to use some clear caulk around where the fixtures meet the tile.

The vanity! The new vanity is smaller than the old one, which fits better in the smaller sized bathroom. The vanity top is not secured in place, as I'll remove it when I install the faucet (scheduled to arrive tomorrow) and then permanently install it when I hook up the water supply lines. Monday I'll also be tackling the baseboards, which need to be cut and painted for easier installation. I've got 3 days left (well three evenings left, since I'll be at work during the day). I think that I'll have just enough time to finish up before Kevin arrives.